Twelve premieres – including new productions of Salome, Madama Butterfly, and Il trovatore, the world premiere of Máté Bella’s Passio, and a centenary production of Háry János – are featured in the Hungarian State Opera’s 2026/27 season. Alongside leading Hungarian soloists, international stars such as Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo, Diana Damrau and René Pape are to appear on stage of the Budapest Opera House.
From the ancient, sometimes biblical Near East to the 20th-century or even futuristic Far East, a wealth of colours and moods emerge in the Hungarian State Opera’s 2026/27 Season of Eastern Tales. However, the seasonal theme does not imply exclusivity: half of the season’s 500 performances and nearly 60 different opera and ballet productions – including a dozen children’s performances as well as numerous concerts, galas and recitals – consist of popular productions that attract audiences regardless of seasonal themes.
Opera House premieres
In keeping with the seasonal theme, Richard Strauss’s Salome will be staged by Máté Szabó under the baton of principal conductor Martin Rajna, while Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, in cooperation with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, will receive a new interpretation directed by Barbora Horáková and conducted by Cornelius Meister. During the Easter period, the OPERA will present the world premiere of Passio by Máté Bella – winner of the Erkel and Bartók–Pásztory Prizes – directed by András Almási-Tóth and conducted by Ádám Cser. After ten years, Verdi’s popular Il trovatore returns to the repertoire in a stage version by Gergely Kesselyák, conducted by Martin Rajna.
Almost exactly on the centenary of its 1926 Opera House premiere, the OPERA will stage Zoltán Kodály’s singspiel Háry János in a new production by Attila Béres, conducted by principal guest conductor Péter Halász. In light of the centenary, Kodály’s works will occupy a prominent place in the season. The OPERA Children’s Chorus will also present Kodály’s work in its own production under the title Johnny Háry, adapted by János Lackfi, with musical direction by chorus master Nikolett Hajzer and staged by Mária Harangi at the Eiffel Art Studios. The Spinning Room will also be performed there, and on the anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra will give a Kodály concert at the Opera House conducted by Ádám Medveczky and chorus director Gábor Csiki.
Premieres at the Eiffel Art Studios
The Eiffel Art Studios will feature several special productions. In connection with the season theme, excerpts from Delibes’s Lakmé will be staged by János Szemenyei and conducted by Ádám Cser, with narration written and performed by Dániel Mogács. A particularly exciting evening will present Debussy’s rarely heard cantatas L’enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son) and La demoiselle élue (The Blessed Damozel) in staged versions, alongside Liszt Ferenc’s recently rediscovered opera fragment Sardanapalo, based on the fall of the last Assyrian ruler, staged for the first time by the Hungarian State Opera. The three works will be conducted by János Kovács and directed by István Péter Nagy.
Two earlier prose productions will also return in new forms. On the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, Kádár’s Last Speech, will return in a new stage version. In connection with this production, the OPERA will present a film adaptation of graphic artist István Orosz’s mock documentary screenplay Kádár’s Record, both directed by documentary filmmaker Tamás Novák. Balázs Szálinger’s Chrysanthemums, or the Death of Liù, written at the OPERA’s request and inspired by a tragic turn in Puccini’s life, will also return in a production by András Almási-Tóth.
Repertoire performances
The Eastern atmosphere of the season will be reflected at the Opera House in productions such as Turandot and Nabucco. At the Eiffel Art Studios, Nixon in China and Die Entführung aus dem Serail will also feature. On the 150th anniversary of Wagner’s Ring cycle, Die Walküre, the most frequently performed part of the tetralogy, returns to the repertoire. Carmen, Maria Stuarda, and Mefistofele will again be seen at the Opera House, while popular series of La bohème, Carmina Burana, Le nozze di Figaro, La traviata, and The Magic Flute will continue.
Among Hungarian works, alongside Kodály’s The Spinning Room, audiences can see Love Adrift (Hohczeit im Fasching), Hunyadi László, John the Valiant, and Bartók’s works including Bluebeard’s Castle (directed by Kasper Holten) and, fitting the seasonal theme, The Miraculous Mandarin with choreography by Marianna Venekei.
The Hungarian National Ballet will present 148 performances, including record runs of The Nutcracker (48+2) and Swan Lake (17+1). The Eastern theme includes productions such as The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, Le corsaire and La bayadère. Among László Seregi’s immortal works, Spartacus will return, and A Streetcar Named Desire will be seen at the Opera House for the first time. Modern choreographies include works by the recently deceased Dutch legend Hans van Manen, as well as Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, Johan Inger, Jiří Kylián, Harald Lander, and András Lukács. The ballet season concludes with the 11th Iván Nagy Ballet Gala.
Concert performances for connoisseurs
Building on the positive experience of the current season, the OPERA introduces a new concert-style format on rehearsal days under the name Opera IC audiophile series. In the favourable acoustics provided by the lowered safety curtain, operas not included in the regular repertoire – or featuring special guest world stars – will be presented in costume but without sets. Next season’s programme includes Tosca, Bluebeard’s Castle, Don Giovanni, and Rigoletto.
Opera House concerts
The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus will give concerts of special significance. The OPERA142 season-opening concert pays tribute to György Kurtág (recently turned 100) and to Gustav Mahler, who introduced the Ring cycle in Hungary 150 years ago. Conducted by Martin Rajna, the programme will include excerpts from Der fliegende Holländer and a symphonic fantasy based on Die Frau ohne Schatten in a concert dedicated to Wagner and Richard Strauss, conducted by Péter Halász.
International and Hungarian guest stars
Following her first costumed Opera House role as Lady Macbeth, Anna Netrebko will appear next season as Mimì in La bohème in Kálmán Nádasdy’s nearly 90-year-old production. Colline will be sung by Sándor Köpeczi, recently successful at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, conducted by Martin Rajna. Plácido Domingo will sing Giorgio Germont in a concert performance of Verdi’s La traviata, while Gregory Kunde will appear as Radamès in a concert performance of Aida. In the Opera IC audiophile series, Lawrence Brownlee and Andrei Danilov will perform as the Duke of Mantua.
The fifth season of the Stars’ Recitals with Piano series will feature intimate concerts by René Pape, Andreas Schager, Thomas Hampson, Rolando Villazón, and Diana Damrau.
Among premieres, Salome will feature Nicole Chevalier (Salome) and Gerhard Siegel (Herod), while Il trovatore will include Yusif Eyvazov (Manrico), Simone Piazzola (Count Luna), and Anita Rachvelishvili (Azucena). Hungarian singers rarely seen on home stages due to international commitments include Emőke Baráth as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Gábor Bretz in the title role of Mefistofele. In Bluebeard’s Castle, Mikhail Petrenko and Judit Kutasi will sing the iconic roles, and in the Opera IC series Christopher Maltman and Anna Kissjudit will also perform the work.
Conductors include Giampaolo Bisanti for La traviata and Leonardo Sini for Rigoletto. Ballet conductors include Paul Connelly (Le corsaire, The Fountain of Bakhchisarai) and David Coleman (Swan Lake, La bayadère). Hungarian conductors returning from abroad include Gábor Hontvári (Carmen, The Nutcracker, Spartacus), Zsolt Hamar (Hunyadi László), Gábor Káli (Le nozze di Figaro), Gergely Madaras (Cavalleria rusticana), Gergely Vajda (Nixon in China), and Tibor Bogányi (Carmina Burana, Die Entführung aus dem Serail).
Children’s and youth performances
The OPERA continues to prioritise introducing young audiences to opera and ballet. In 2026/27, Zsófia Tallér’s family fairy-tale opera Leánder and Lenszirom will be seen at the Opera House for the first time. Other children’s productions include Bastien and Bastienne paired with The Telephone, Little Swan Lake, Hungarian Christmas and King Pomade’s New Clothes, while the Eiffel Art Studios will present Magic Flute for Children, Little Coppélia and an Eastern-themed adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. For teenagers, Dido and Aeneas, Schicchi 2.0, and Timeless Contemporary Adventure 2 offer introductions to opera and ballet.
Developments and investments
To ensure sustainable operation amid global economic uncertainty, the Hungarian State Opera is expanding its services. In March 2026, OperaSafe – the OPERA Archival Collections – is expected to open at the corner of Dalszínház and Révay Streets, featuring an exhibition space, event venue and opera-themed escape room. The Rooftop OPERA gastronomic service will launch during the summer on the rooftop terrace of the Simándy building on Hajós Street. Construction is also underway for the new 1,000-seat Eiffel Hangar concert hall, primarily for more popular music, crossover and jazz, supporting cross-financing for the OPERA’s own productions at the Bánffy Stage of the Eiffel Art Studios.
